creative technology

Kin-Hackt Body Instrument

I have been posting some articles about the Kinect since I am working with it this semester. This is a rather good example of using the Kinect as part of an art project. Here, a dancer choreographs music using his arms. There is a beauty about how the human body becomes a vehicle for musical expression, without the need for instruments or any sort of technological appendages. Instead, the human body becomes the technological interface in empty space. Space is converted into sound. The aesthetics of this artwork is strong – the beauty of the dancer’s body and movement is evident in the choreography and mood lighting; the sound has a rich, somewhat orchestral texture. The Kinect tracks the position of the dancer’s joints to control the sound. The work is dated Jul 2012. Artist statement as follows :-

This is one of the Body Instruments designed by Adriano Clemente for his project Kin-Hackt.

This performance is one extract from the “Composition for Five Bodies and Kinect”.

This is achieved with a 3D sensor (Kinect) able to map the joints of a human body, then tracking their movements which are translated to musical impulses.
My art project is based on the idea of the body itself as the ultimate instrument of expression and communication, without the use of any other objects to hold, wear or touch. Interacting directly with a virtual sound-space, the essence of the expression is contained in the movement.

The person performing is the composer, the music player, the instrument and even the orchestra.

The possibilities of this new “instrument” are limited only by ones imagination.